Statement by

Hilary Benn

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development

What we do as individuals affects our environment and those of other people across the world. Whether through pollution or other environmental changes, or through trade, or through movements of people, we increasingly see in our everyday lives how linked up our world has become.

This creates great opportunities for us - both as individuals and as communities. But it also creates threats and dangers. Understanding the global dimension of our lives, and the links that can be made between local and global issues really does matter.

I hope that this website, and the work of the Humanities Education Centre, will help to promote awareness of why we should leave gentle footprints on the earth.